Animal-assisted Therapy in Pediatric Surgery: Cardiovascular, Neurological and Endocrinological Responses to Stress and Pain in the Immediate Post-operative Period

The relationship between human beings and animals, especially dogs, has existed for thousands of years. Historically, animals have held an important role in this relationship as they provide company, stimulus and motivation. Animals are excellent company, since their visitation they do not discriminate or segregate any person, that is, they are free of prejudice.

In spite of the long-lasting presence of companion animals in human life, the idea that interaction with animals may exert a positive effect on human health is rather recent.

The American Veterinary Medical Association classifies therapeutic animal assisted interventions (AAI) into three categories: animal assisted activities (AAA) that utilize companion animals; animal assisted therapy (AAT) that utilizes therapy animals and service animal programs (SAP) that utilize service animals. AAT in particular, is a goal-directed intervention in which an animal that meets specific criteria is an integral part of the treatment process. AAT is technically defined as the use of trained animals by trained health professionals to facilitate specific, measurable goals for individual patients for whom there is documentation of progress .

Interest in AAT has been fueled by studies supporting the many health benefits. AAT has proven a useful adjunct in a variety of settings including mental health facilities, nursing homes and hospitals where most studies have been performed with adult patients with variable interventions, goals, patient characteristic and patient needs. In these studies, AAT resulted in significant reductions in anxiety, agitation and fear. In children, AAT dogs decreased distress during painful medical procedures, promoted calmness in children with post-traumatic stress disorders and increased attention and positive behaviors in children with pervasive developmental disorders.

Surgical procedures and hospitalization can be stressful for both children and their parents and they are associated with pain, helplessness, fear and boredom. AAT has been shown to facilitate a child's ability to cope with hospitalization, but to date, no studies on AAT benefits in pediatric surgery have been reported.

The purpose of this study was to better understand the effects of an AAT program on neurological, cardiovascular and endocrinological responses to stress and pain in the immediate post-operative period in children undergoing surgical procedures.